civil rights

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The Latest on the start of the Virginia General Assembly session (all times local):

Outgoing Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe says his proudest achievement during his four years in office was restoring voting and other civil rights to thousands of felons who had completed their sentences.

McAuliffe discussed his legacy in his final "State of the Commonwealth" address to lawmakers Wednesday evening.

Members of Walker's family, city officials and others are expected to attend the unveiling of the statue in Richmond's Jackson Ward neighborhood on Saturday. The event is being held on what would be Walker's 153rd birthday.

BALTIMORE (AP) - An attorney for the city of Baltimore says it is ready and willing to enter into a court-enforceable agreement to implement sweeping reforms to the city's troubled police department.

Baltimore's solicitor David Ralph said at a public hearing on Thursday that when the city, police department and federal government negotiated the plan, it was designed to fight crime and protect civil rights.

NEWARK, Del. (AP) - Now that he's left the White House, former Vice President Joe Biden will split his time between programs at the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania.

Officials announced Tuesday that Biden will establish a new domestic policy institute at the University of Delaware and will head a foreign policy institute for the University of Pennsylvania. The foreign policy center will be located in Washington, D.C., but Biden also will have an office on the Penn campus in Philadelphia.

BALTIMORE (AP) - Nearly two years after the death of Freddie Gray while in Baltimore police custody exposed systemic failures within the department that included excessive force, racial discrimination and illegal arrests, city officials are expected to agree with federal officials on court-enforceable reforms.

A consent decree, which will be announced at a joint news conference with Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, will be filed in U.S. District Court after it's approved by the city's spending panel Thursday.

BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore's new mayor says the city is aiming to reach an agreement with the federal government to overhaul police practices before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Mayor Catherine Pugh, who took office two weeks ago, told news reporters Tuesday she thinks they can do it. Last week Attorney General Loretta Lynch put pressure on Baltimore saying "the ball is in the city's court" to conclude negotiations soon.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Loretta Lynch says it's possible that the Justice Department and the city of Baltimore could reach a deal in the next month to overhaul the city's police practices.

She says the "ball is in the city's court" and that she'll return to Baltimore in January for an update on the progress in reaching a court-enforceable consent decree.

The city and the federal government have been working for months on a plan to improve police practices and procedures following a Justice Department report in August that found pervasive civil rights violations.

Media outlets report registrars say they've been unable to verify restoration of a felon's voting rights either on the Virginia Election Registration Information System or an online site operated by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.